Making Sweet Dumplings
by Lu Lu-Chan25
Summary: Life hurts a lot more than death. Especially if it's another life. Self-Insert OC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 **Hey guys! How's it going?**

 **Alright. Here is my new story _Making Sweet Dumplings._ This is a Self-Insert OC story. I've been reading a lot of them lately, and it inspired me to write one. My roommate helped with the inspiration too, giving me ideas and what not to play with. **

**The stories that inspired me were _Dreaming of Sunshine_ by Silver Queen, and _Catch Your Breath_ by Lang Noi. They are amazing fics, and you should definitely give them a read. **

**I'd like to tank the person/roommate who edited this chapter, and will bet he editor for this fic, EvilMoogleGirl.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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When you die...do you go to Heaven? What about Hell? Are your ancestors waiting to greet you at the golden gates? Are you just going to be a rotting corpse, doomed to rest in a wooden box for the rest of eternity?

Well...that's not what happens. Not in this case anyways.

I should probably give a little backstory on who _I_ am. I am, or was, a typical girl.

Born into a middle class family. Well cared for, loved by my friends. Hyperactive and derpy, even as a young adult. I had a brother and a sister, went to college, worked a part-time job, and went on casual dates, nothing ever too serious.

But my death had nothing to do with who I was. It was an accident, in fact. I was struck by a minivan that lost control, hitting me and several other pedestrians.

I remember waking up briefly in an Operating Room, with about 7 doctors and nurses hovering over me. Then everything went black.

At first I thought I was going to wake back up. But that obviously didn't happen. Then I thought that maybe I was in a coma. That kind of thing happens all the time after car accidents. As the never ending black void went on, I figured I was never going to wake up. I was going to be trapped inside my body for the rest of my life.

Until I was born…...again.

Immense pressure, intense light, and lots of crying; that's what I remember from my birth. Or at least, this birth. It was pretty odd that I was able to recall everything that had happened, let alone be lucid through the whole thing.

I was born at the beginning of August. I didn't know where I was, what hospital I was in, let alone what country I was in. I could hear muffled voices over my crying, though I had to say, I have a damn good pair of lungs.

After I was cleaned and handed back to who I presumed was my mother, I got a good look at her….sort of. I wasn't screaming anymore. I was calm. I wanted to know who this woman was, what my family was going to be like.

I could hear her crying, talking. She sounded happy. I couldn't quite understand what she was saying. My last life, I was raised speaking English. Even now that's the only language I really know. Perhaps I'm in a different country.

I couldn't help thinking that was kind of cool.

I was a complete glutton as an infant. If I wasn't sleeping, all I wanted was to latch myself to my mom's breast and eat until I passed right back out. I guess that was a good thing, because it seems all my mom wanted me to do was eat and sleep.

I wasn't much for playing with my toys though. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy my baby toys. For someone who was an infant, rattles and squeaky teddy-bears were great for entertainment. But the problem was I was a 23-year old girl trapped in this little tiny body. It kind of reminded me of Genie from _Aladdin_ ; Phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty living space.

At two months old, I was actually really surprised how developed and underdeveloped some of my senses were. I could see in color, finally. And I was able to make out facial features, though it was hard to see things that were far away. It was like I was near-sighted, but I knew that wouldn't last.

My hearing had improved too. I was able to grasp that my name was Ayaka; especially after hearing my parents and other family constantly say my name. I couldn't quite understand what they were saying, my language portion of the brain still not developed yet.

But I was an intuitive little child. I wanted to look at everything, hear everything, touch everything despite my limitations. My mom took me on playdates with another baby. It was a baby boy. He was older than me, but not by much. He was a pretty chubby baby, with tufts of brown hair, and swirls on his cheeks.

He was really adorable. With the mind of a 23-year old, I wanted nothing more than to pinch his swirly, chubby cheeks. He was just so cute!

I tried to pinch his cheeks once...but I ended up smacking him over and over, trying to grab hold of the chubby things. Yeah...he wasn't too happy with me that day.

But aside from the love and attention I got from my family, I was bored to death. I was an adult trapped in a baby's body. I needed adult entertainment! Not the kind you're thinking. I needed technology! Phone, laptop, TV, internet! Something! Anything to stimulate my brain. But that wouldn't happen for a while. I figured I would just live out this mundane life as a baby till I would finally be back to my rightful age, and continue where I left off.

But my first months into my new life, things changed fast.

It was a cool, crisp, autumn night; a typical day for me. I would eat and sleep all day, maybe play with my toys if i was bored enough. It wasn't until I was put to bed when it happened.

All I felt was this...radiating evil aura, full of hatred and rage. It was suffocating; it felt like it was swallowing me whole. I cried harder than I ever had in my short life. The feeling of this evil rocked me to my core. I screamed, seeking comfort from my mother, who in turn was a nervous wreck.

Even days after that incident, I still couldn't get the feeling of that evil out of my head. It felt like it was still encompassing my body, filling every pore. I didn't know what to do. I was fidgety, always flinching when someone picked me up, or said my name. I didn't want to live like this, scared of the evil in the world. But I wanted to know what that evil source was.

I was six months old when I grasped that I was somewhere in Japan. Even though my primary language was English, my infantile brain was learning to understand Japanese. It was like a nerdy girl's dream come true. Then I learned where I truly was.

I remember going to the the doctor's; Mom thought something was wrong with me, I think. When I was being weighed, Mom was pretty frustrated. Was I underweight? That couldn't be right, I ate day-in and day-out. Maybe I had some sort of metabolism problem? I didn't know.

Then my doctor came face to face with me, and I got a good look at her. Or rather...her eyes. I couldn't help but stare into them, feeling like my soul was being sucked out of my body.

The Byakugan.

I could see the veins around her eyes bulging out, her kekkei genkai activated.

I stared for a good three seconds before bursting into tears. The Byakugan didn't scare me. Well, it kind of did. They were kinda creepy up close. But the fact that I now realized I was in the Naruto-universe...I was instantly afraid.

My mother did everything she could to console me, but I couldn't stop crying. The people in this universe are trained to be assassins from birth. It was a killed or be killed kind of world. I was so upset, I couldn't put anything else together. I didn't want to grow up to be a murderer. I didn't want to be killed on a mission. I wanted a simple life: grow up with friends, get married, have a family. Sure, I could do that here….if I didn't die in combat first.

After that, I wasn't the same baby that I was before. I was pretty complacent. I didn't really want to do much of anything. I slept more, I ate less, and I didn't play anymore. I couldn't get where I was out of my head. I was able to gather what village I was a part of, thanks to my doctor with the Byakugan. I was honestly relieved I was in Konoha. If I was born in Amegakure or Kumogakure, things could have been really bad. I also figured out where in the timeline I was. That evil force I felt months before had to be the Kyuubi. There was nothing else it could have been.

My parents grew increasingly worried over me, but I just….didn't care. I didn't want to be here.

By the time I was a year old, I had completely withdrawn myself. I wanted no contact from anyone, unless it was absolutely necessary. I had gone into a massive state of depression. My parents did everything they could to help me, but nothing worked. It wasn't until I _really_ started thinking that I snapped out of my depressive state.

It was an early Autumn afternoon when my brain finally kicked into gear. My mother had taken me to a play date with children of the Four Noble Clans. There were four other babies there: the chubby baby boy that I played with months before (who I found out was my cousin, Chouji Akimichi), a baby girl with the beginnings of eggplant colored hair and the Byakugan that was staring right at me (she was obviously Hinata, who by the way, was a very beautiful baby), a boy with little spiky tufts of brown hair and black tinted baby goggles over his eyes (the only person that could have been was Shino. No one else would need to wear those as a baby unless it was absolutely necessary. The adult in me wanted to squeal and hug him. He was just so fricken' cute!), and a boy with a black head of hair and onyx eyes (who I deduced was Sasuke Uchiha). I saw Sasuke wiggling around on his back and something clicked. Being in the time period I was in, meant I could stop certain things from happening. Or at least tweak them a bit. I knew certain things couldn't be changed; like the Uchiha Massacre. While it was a very important part in the timeline, maybe I could save Sasuke from seeing his brother kill his family. Maybe I could make Neji not so twisted with the laws of fate. There were so many things I could play with.

I was getting ahead of myself. I couldn't play with the timeline really. But I maybe I could help. Even if it was something super insignificant at the time. If it helped someone in the end, then I would do it.

I had a new sense of purpose. I wasn't afraid of my place in this world anymore. With a new sense of determination, I crawled over to Sasuke, patting his forehead gently.

I saw his eyes turn towards mine, looking fairly grumpy. I smiled, giggling at the cute little pout. I suddenly felt myself being lifted, and I was quickly smothered into my mother's large breasts. I could hear her voice; she sounded like she was crying, but happy. I didn't realize I put my mother through so much with my depression, but I was going to make up for it.

After that, my life went on and it was a normal existence. You know….as normal as it could be for a ninja baby. I got really close to my cousin. Whenever we were in the same room together, we were joined at the hip and wanting to be close to each other, rather than anyone else. I was very protective of him.

I made friends with some of the other babies, or as close to friends you can get as toddlers. Knowing each individual person on a personal level (sort of) was kind of nice. You would see glimpses of their personality that wasn't on display in the anime or manga. Like how protective Shikamaru was over his stuffed deer. He was such a placid, nonchalant kind of guy. To see him like that, even as a baby was cute and kind of funny.

As the months turned into years, I was soaking up everything around me. I was learning to read and write in Japanese, and I, along with Chouji, was getting a basic education from my clan such as: arithmetic, language skills (i.e. reading and writing), and the most basic chakra control.

That subject threw me for a loop. In my past life, being diagnosed with ADHD, concentrating on one thing for extended periods of time was always something I failed at. School, homework, work, I grew bored fast and tended to think of 20 things at once, instead of focus on the task at hand. It seemed, as fate would have it, my ADD was brought over to this life as well.

Learning about chakra control was so boring! Sitting and trying to meditate always made me fidgety. When my parents suggested the leaf exercise, I was able to focus better, but I still got bored fast. I thought of it as a game, trying to compete with Chouji to see who could hold the leaf on longer. Chouji, being the kind soul he was, never got mad or upset with me when I bragged about winning. He would lightly clap for me and I would give him a hug out of thanks.

We also learned about the history of the Akimichi Clan and how it was one of the Four Noble Clans. I learned how the Nara and Yamanaka Clans were supporting clans of the Akimichi. I also learned that in every clan there is something like a main house and a branch house. It was never as extreme as the Hyuuga Clan, but similar. For example, my mother Akimichi Chouko, was the younger sister of Akimichi Chouza, the Clan Head. Because my mother was born second and wasn't named the next Clan Head, she wasn't able to carry out the tradition of the family names, which is why my cousin is Chouji and I was named Ayaka.

I was okay not being named a traditional Akimichi name. It made me feel unique. Well...more unique than I already was. I wasn't your stereotypical Akimichi. I wasn't large. In fact, I was a dinky little girl with a little protruding milk belly. I didn't have any cheek markings like Chouji or the rest of my clan. My family joked about how I was the milk man's baby. I knew it was a joke, but I couldn't help but feel a little put off at how different I was from the rest of my family. I was kind of nervous about learning the family jutsus, too. One needed a large body mass to be able to successfully expand their body to the appropriate size that was needed for the jutsu. If I couldn't do the justus, then I would focus on something else.

My training and education became a big part of my life. I wanted to know. I was so desperate to learn, I was always pestering my uncle to teach me everything he could. From the fundamentals, to the concepts behind them. When it was time to start learning taijutsu, I physically jumped for joy. Finally! Something that would stimulate my boredom!

It started out slow, of course. Teaching 4 year olds basic stances and movements was always a hassle. Especially when I was such a spazz. But I soaked it up like a sponge. It was exhilarating to learn everything I could about this.

After all the training and study sessions, my mom or Aunt Umeko would take Chouji and I to the park. We would casually push each other on the swings, or take turns on the slide. One particular day, Aunt Umeko took Chouji and I to the park, where a group of older children were playing "ninja." By older I mean six years old or so, not four.

I looked at Chouji, a bright smile on my face. "Ne ne, Chouji-Niisan. Lets go play with them!" I cried, pulling on Chouji's arm to get him to play.

"I don't know, Ayaka-Chan." He grumbled, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "They're big kids…" He wasn't one to insert himself into someone else's game. But I was.

"Come on, Chouji-Niisan. If it makes you feel better, I can ask them." I smiled. I was trying to encourage him to play with others, get to know other people more. He was shy, but not to the point where it was crippling, like Hinata.

Chouji smiled in relief. "Okay."

I jumped for joy and ran over to the children, gently pulling Chouji along. When we reached the children, they all stopped their game, looking at us as if we were their least favorite vegetable that was placed in front of them.

"What do you want?" One boy said with disdain.

I was taken back slightly, flinching at his tone. "Uh...we wanted to know if we could play with you." I said with a bright smile, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Why would we play with you?" One girl said, practically spitting in our direction. "he's nothing but a fatso….and you're the clan reject."

Chouji tense up beside me, flinching at her words. I sighed, anger building up inside of me. I slowly let go of Chouji's arm, walking up to the girl who called us out. I stared up at her, anger radiating from my body, but all she did was smirk down at me. I launched myself at her, tackling her to the ground.

She yelped, obviously taken back that I had taken her down.

"DON'T CALL CHOUJI-NIISAN FAT!" I screamed, slamming my hands wherever I could: chest, face, head, stomach.

I was seething with rage. I knew Chouji was self-conscious about how he looked, and I couldn't let these asshole kids make fun of him. I wouldn't. I continued to wail on her, not caring about my surroundings.

I couldn't see Chouji, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was freaked out. Hell, I'd be freaked out too, seeing this little girl beating on an older kid.

No sooner had I thought that, I felt myself being yanked off the girl by my aunt. I stopped fighting, knowing it wasn't going to get me anywhere. I looked down at the girl, a smirk on my face. She had a bloody nose and no doubt bruises forming elsewhere on her body.

After that incident, I was grounded from going to the park for a full month, and no dessert for two. Chouji stayed home with me that month of grounding, saying that it wouldn't be fair to me if I suffered on his behalf. In the past, I always dreamt of what it would be like to have an older brother. I see now….he would have been exactly like Chouji. Protective, kind, and selfless. I knew Chouji would stand by me, and I was going to stand by him.

After my grounding, things got a little complicated. Children avoided me and Chouji, though it was mostly me. I didn't get discouraged when the children shunned me, but I felt really bad for Chouji, who was getting equally shunned. He didn't deserve it, it wasn't his fault. But it was guilt by association, so there wasn't much I could do. Until he met Shikamaru. Shikamaru had stood up for Chouji, saying he did nothing wrong and wasn't a part of the attack. That if these children were going to blame Chouji for a crime he didn't commit, then they weren't worth his time. Shikamaru walked away, or rather, walked to Chouji. I was happy. Chouji had managed to meet his best friend.

Chouji and I would see Shikamaru at the park a lot, and he and Chouji would usually just sit around and watch the clouds, munching on some sort of snack Chouji had with him. I would sit with them sometimes, but again with the ADD. Sitting around and eating could only capture my attention for so long. One afternoon, I was sitting on one of the park benches, munching on some potato chips that I had brought from home. I could hear the whispers from children, saying how I was some crazy kid who beat up children. I ignored them, and continued to munch away on my chips. I saw Shikamaru approach me, and I smiled.

"Hi Shikamaru-kun. Where's Chouji-niisan?" I asked, curious to where my cousin was.

"He's in the bathroom." He said, sitting next to me with a sigh. "You know….those kids are wrong."

I blinked, wondering where he was going with this.

"You aren't some crazy kid. You're nice. THey're just too dumb to see it." He said, putting his hands behind his head lazily.

I could only stare at the boy. Even at four years old, his intelligence was so prominent. I smiled and offered my chips to him. "Thank you, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and smiled, taking a chip.

Things went on normally after that, though children still kind of avoided me. One particular day, I went to go to the park alone, my mom escorting me of course. Chouji had "clan heir" lessons, and I didn't didn't feel like sitting alone at home. When I reached the park, I saw several children playing on the play structure. I looked over to the swing set, seeing a familiar heiress swinging on her own. She looked….almost sad, like she was yearning for some interaction with her peers. It made me wonder if she wanted to play with the other children. But I knew she was so shy she would never ask to play with someone else. I smiled, walking over to her, taking the swing next to her.

"Hi!"

I saw her blush, looking away. Oh typical Hinata. I looked a little harder at her, and blinked. Was she….scared of me? Or was this just her shyness? It was kind of hard to tell.

"I'm Ayaka. What's your name?" I asked. I was hoping to ease the tension, get her to see that I was a nice person.

Hinata swallowed, her swing slowing down. "Ah….I...I-I'm H-Hinata…..H-Hyuuga H-Hinata." She said nervously.

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-Chan! Can I swing with you?" I started swinging, without her permission. She didn't say anything, but she didn't disagree, so I took that as a sign.

We swung for a while, or rather I swung and she sat in her swing, staring into her lap. She looked unsure of what to do. Was she afraid of me? I wonder if she had heard about the fight. She probably did; I wouldn't be surprised if the mothers/caretakers gossiped about us children during clan gatherings.

"Do you come to the park a lot, Hinata-Chan?" I asked, still swinging. I was going to try and open her up, and see if she would talk to me with a little pushing.

She didn't answer, just pushing her two forefingers together nervously. I recognized that habit and I really wanted to swat her hands away. It was kind of annoying seeing her do that. I sighed, telling I wasn't going to go anywhere if I didn't ask the hard questions.

"What's the matter, Hinata-Chan? Are you feeling alright? Your face is red." I said, trying to show her I was friendly and meant well.

She nodded her head, signaling she was fine, but her face was still a bright pink. I think she felt unnerved that I called her out on her red face. It made me feel a little guilty for doing that.

"Sorry, Hinata-Chan. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay. It wouldn't be fun to swing all alone." I said slowing my swing to a stop, trying to get across that I wanted to swing with her and keep her company.

She squeaked, lowering her head more. Was it out of shame? Oops. Way to go Ayaka. I sat there in silence, trying to see if she would talk to me. Hinata was shy, I knew that. but she would at least say something to break the awkwardness. If this wasn't shyness….it was one thing.

"Ne….Hinata-Chan….are you scared of me?" I asked bluntly. I needed a straight answer.

Her breath hitched when I asked her, knowing I hit the nail on the head. "It's okay if you are, Hinata-Chan."

She was fidgety, pushing her fingers together again. "I…..I h-heard ru-rumors that y-you started a-a fight…."

She looked at me, curiosity and hesitation prominent on her face. I could see she was fighting to ask me something, so I nodded. "It's okay to ask, Hinata-Chan."

After a few moments of fidgeting, she swallowed hard and asked the question. "Wh...Why di-did you a-attack h-her, then?"

I sighed, a soft smile appearing on my face. "You see….that girl called my cousin fat. He's really sensitive about what he looks like. And….she called me a reject. That wasn't very nice, and I….got mad. So I hit her…..a lot." I said that last part sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

Hinata looked at me for a long moment, trying to decipher if what I said was the truth. She swallowed hard, still looking rather apprehensive. "Wh...What that g-girl did w-was mean, t-too."

My eyes widened slightly and I smiled. "Yeah…." I could see her smiling gently back at me, though she had an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

I started to swing again and Hinata joined in, though her swings were smaller while mine were big and high. We swung for a little bit, not saying anything to each other; just enjoying our play time. I suddenly heard her gasp, and her swinging came to a halt. I looked down at her, blinking. Her face was a brilliant shade of red, and she looked like she had just seen Jesus. I looked at what she was staring at, my own swinging slowing to a halt.

It was him; the damn kid that the universe I was in was named for.

"Naruto."

 **~End Chapter**

 **So? What did you guys think?**

 **Leave me any questions, comments, and concerns in a review. It's the best and easiest way for me to read your opinions on this.**

 **And don't forget to read my other story _Change is Good, Right?_**

 **Thanks guys!**

 **~Lu Lu-Chan25**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Hey guys! How's it goin'? Well, here it is! My newest chapter for _Making Sweet Dumplings_. I hope you enjoy it. This chapter was rather difficult to write. But it is finally done!**

 **I'd like to thank my Beta's: EvilMoogleGirl and Chibiusa for doing such a wonderful job editing this chapter**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

Naruto. There he was...in the flesh.

I didn't know what to do. It was….I couldn't even begin to describe the emotions running through my head. It made my body shake. I looked over at Hinata, wondering how she was feeling. Her entire face was completely pink, and she was pressing her forefingers together, looking in her lap, as if it held all the answers to her life.

I shook my head at her and looked back towards the boy. He seemed lost; like he wanted to play, but was afraid to. The conflicting emotions on his face almost broke my heart. I stared at him, completely enraptured, but he was so frail. It was probably from malnourishment, but it also looked like he was just so broken.

I looked at Hinata, to see if she would do anything, which she I knew wouldn't. I sighed and jumped off my swing. I walked over towards the blond, who gave me a mistrusting look.

I smiled, trying to appear friendly. "Hi!"

He looked down, fiddling with the hem of shirt. He swallowed hard, trying to build up the courage to speak. "Hey…"

"I'm Ayaka. What's your name?" I said, holding out my hand to him.

Naruto looked at my hand, then up at me as if I had grown a second head.

"It's just a hand. Don'tcha know how to shake hands?" I smiled, trying to prompt Naruto to take my hand.

Naruto continued to stare at me with crazy wide eyes. He nodded, taking my hand. "I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. I'm gunna be the next Hokage!" He yelled, his excitement growing with each word. "I think being Hokage would be so cool! Besides, when I'm Hokage...people will have to be nice to me!" He said, puffing out his cheeks in a massive pout.

' _I know, Naruto. I know.'_ I continued to smile at the boy, pleased with our introductions. "Ne, Naru-chan, do you wanna swing with my friend, Hinata-chan? She's over by the-" When I turned to point at the swings where I left the Hyuuga heiress, she had disappeared. "Maybe she had to go home." I said thoughtfully, though if I knew Hinata, she was probably hiding now. I turned back to the blond, who looked pretty confused.

"Wanna go play on the slide?" I offered, trying to extend the olive branch of friendship.

He stared at me with a bewildered expression, like all the gears were turning in his head.

"What is it, Naru-chan?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"Y-You called me 'Naru-chan.'" He whispered, trying to fight back tears.

"Is...that okay?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't want to scare him off after only knowing him for five minutes.

"Y-Yeah! It's great! No one's ever gave me a nickname before!" He exclaimed happily. He had a big, bright smile, practically ripping his face in half.

"Come on! Let's go play on the slide!" I shouted.

He nodded his head vigorously, and we raced to the slide. We spent a good portion of the afternoon playing with each other, sliding on slides, using the swings, and even playing on the teeter-totter. Naruto did most of the talking, spouting a lot of nonsense about being Hokage and about the Hokage. As the sun began to set, I could hear my mom calling my name.

I turned to her, seeing her waving me over. I turned back to Naruto, who looked suddenly very sad. "It's okay, Naru-chan. We can play together tomorrow. You'll be able to meet Chouji-niisan!" I exclaimed, trying to cheer up the small child.

His eyes went wide, surprised that I would want to play with him. "You'd play with me again?"

"Yeah! You're fun." I smiled, holding my hand out to him again.

He took it without hesitation, smiling back. "Ne...Ayaka, are we friends?"

I blinked, surprised by his question. I shouldn't have been though; he was a child deprived of affection and care. Of course he would latch onto any sort of positive feelings. I nodded at him. "Absolutely. I'll see you tomorrow, Naru-chan."

He nodded, waving to me as I ran towards my mother. I waved back, yelling my goodbyes. I reached my mother, taking her hand into my tiny one.

"Who was that, Aya-chan?" She asked. I knew she knew who he was. Everyone knew who he was.

"That was Naru-chan. He's my new friend!" I said happily, but quickly turned my happiness to concern.

"Is that okay, Kaa-san?" Even if she said no, I'd still be the blond's friend. He needed them; he needed precious people to protect and drive him. It was like a personal mission. I was going to fulfill my end of it, making sure he had the friends he needed to be strong.

I looked up at my mother, waiting for her answer.

"Did you have fun playing with him?" She asked, eying me.

I nodded, smiling up at her. "He was so nice, Kaa-san! We took turns pushing each other on the swings, and we played on the slide and teeter-totter."

"That's wonderful, Aya-chan. I'm sure he's a nice boy." She said, looking down at me. I wasn't sure how to decipher her facial expression. It seemed like she wanted to be happy for me...but looked nervous.

"Ne, Kaa-san?" I said, gently tugging on her hand.

"Mm? What is it, Aya-chan?" She said, looking down at me.

"Can Naru-chan come over? He looked really sad, and his stomach was growling when we were playing." I said, trying to hint to my mom that Naruto was starved. Quite literally.

She looked at me, shocked at my question; like I grew a second head. "Please, Kaa-san? He's really nice!"

She looked at me, sighing at my request. "I would love to have him over, Aya-chan. But you'll have to ask Chouza. He's the one who has to say yes."

I shrugged. It made sense; we ate dinner as a clan. The Clan Head would have to approve of any guest that would be joining us. I nodded, smiling up at my mom. "Okay. I'll ask Chouza-jiji tonight."

My mom smiled at me, but I could sense a lot of hesitation from her. The Akimichi Clan didn't really have anything against Naruto, I knew that. But it didn't stop them from being wary of him. But that had to change; I needed to be the one to change that.

When we got home, I immediately ran to the dining room, where I knew my uncle would be.

"Chouza-jiji! Chouza-jiji!" I shouted, getting his attention immediately.

Chouza, who was looking down at some sort of paperwork, looked up and smiled brightly. "Hello Aya-chan! How's my favorite niece?"

I smirked at the man. "I better be your favorite. I'm your only niece." He let out a bellowing laugh, pinching my cheek. I grunted and groaned when he stretched my cheek out. He let go, and I pouted, rubbing the sore spot.

"Ne, Chouza-jiji. Can my new friend come over sometime?" I asked, still rubbing my aching cheek.

"Of course, my little Aya-chan. Who's your new friend?" He asked, placing an affectionate hand on my head. His hand palmed my head, like a basketball. He ruffled my hair, making it even messier than it was.

I pouted again, unimpressed by the show of affection.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I met him at the park." I beamed. Seeing his face go from a rather care-free, joyous expression to a blank one, made my stomach flip nervously.

"You became friends with Uzumaki Naruto?" I saw him looking up at my mom for assurance. I turned to her, seeing her nod.

"Please Chouza-jiji? He's really nice." I pleaded, giving him my biggest, saddest eyes I could muster.

Chouza sighed and ruffled my hair slowly, as if trying to comfort me.

"Alright. Next time you see him, invite him for dinner." At that exact moment, my uncle looked very, very tired. It seemed the topic of that particular blond was a heavy one. I could only imagine what the councils talked about when it came to him.

I nodded, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Chouza-jiji!"

Chouza chuckled and pinched my cheek. I grumbled at the pinch. His grip was strong and it hurt.

"Ne, where'th Chouhi-niithan?" I lisped through my pinched cheek.

"In his room. Will you go get him and tell him it's dinner time?" He asked, ruffling my hair again.

I nodded, bounding away from him and leaving the room.

I heard the door of the dining room shut behind me. I guessed my mom and Chouza were going to discuss my most recent request. I stayed behind, wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation. I leaned in and pressed my ear on the door, trying to catch every word.

" _What are we going to do, Chouza? I wasn't prepared for this."_ I heard my mother say.

" _I already agreed for him to come to dinner, Chouko. One night won't kill us. Besides, the boy isn't dangerous. He isn't the bijuu itself. We need to remember that."_ He said with a soft groan. _"Listen...it might be good for him. In some of the council meetings, there are mixed reports; he's either completely healthy and taken care of, or he's being beaten day in and day out. The least we can do is give him a proper meal."_

 _"Alright. I'm going to get the others for dinner."_

I bolted from the door. I raced through the halls until I reached Chouji's room. I took a couple of moments to catch my breath before I knocked. "Chouji-niisan! Dinner ti-"

The door flew open before I could finish my sentence.

"DINNER!" My cousin yelled enthusiastically in my face. He looked at me, and instantly regretted yellowing. "Oh….s-sorry Aya-chan." He said softly.

I sighed, looking at him. I wiped my face with my sleeve, wiping the bits of spittle on my face.

"It's okay, Nii-san. Come on! i'll race you to dinner!"

I barely got the words out and we took off, racing back to the dining room.

"I'm beating you, Aya-chan!" He exclaimed, looking back at me as he ran.

"I'll beat you for sure, Chouji-niisan!" I cried, trying to catch up.

I lost the race, but it didn't matter; we were getting fed after all.

The next day I went back to the park after my training session, Chouji accompanying me. My mother was escorting us, looking pretty anxious. I really wanted to tell her to take a chill pill, but I bit my tongue. As we reached the park, I noticed a group of children huddled around something.

"Ne Ayaka-chan. What do you think is going on?" Chouji asked, looking at the group.

"I don't know, Chouji-niisan. Let's go look." I smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the group.

Once we got to the group, we got a good look of what was going on; the kids were harassing Naruto. He was laying on the ground, glaring up at the children. He was covered in dirt, and had several scrapes on his hands and knees. He was fighting back tears, though he wasn't doing a good job of it.

"Naruto…" I whispered, shocked to see him that way.

"Who's Naruto?" Chouji asked, looking at the boy in wonder.

As I watched the blond glare at the crowd, my legs carried me over to him. I kneeled down, holding my hand out to the blond, who looked up with startled, but accepting eyes. He reached out to me, grasping my hand. I pulled him to his feet, and he smiled at me. I looked around the group, glaring at them; Naruto doing to same thing.

As we tried to move through the crowd of bullies, we were harassed.

We were pushed and shoved around. More than once we were tripped, falling to the ground, getting covered in dirt and dust.

After many pushes, shoves, and trips, we finally made out of the crowd, a little worse for wear.

"Are you alright?" Chouji asked, approaching us with concern.

"Yeah...I'm okay." Naruto mumbled. "Those guys are jerks."

I nodded. "Chouji-niisan, this is my friend Naruto. Naruto, this is my cousin, Chouji." I introduced.

They both said hello to each other as we all walked away from the mean children. We walked towards the teeter-totter, where no other children were. I let Chouji and Naruto have the first turn on the teeter-totter, wanting the two children to get to know each other. Though...Naruto and Chouji-niisan's teeter-totter experience was rather comical.

Naruto tried to push off from the ground, but he was too weak. He ended up looking rather constipated whenever he tried to push himself off the ground.

I ended up having to sit behind Naruto to help balance things out.

"Ne, Naru-chan?" I said, behind the blond. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? I think Okaa-san is making curry!" I said excitedly. Curry was one of my favorite meals; even before I wound up in the Naruto-verse.

Naruto stopped pushing off the ground, staring at me as if I grew a second head. "Y-You….you'll let me come over?"

I nodded, smiling warmly at the young blond. "Of course. You're my friend. Okaa-san said it was okay. Chouza-jiji said it was okay, too." I beamed.

Chouji blinked, a little unsure of what was happening. But he was a kind soul, nodding his head and welcoming Naruto to join us for dinner.

Naruto's face scrunch up, and he sniffled as he covered his eyes with his arm, tears trickling down his cheek, dripping off his chin. "Y-Yes...Yes!" He shouted. "I-I'd love to come to dinner!" He sniffled.

I smiled again. "I'm so glad you can come! It will be fun to have a friend over for dinner."

Naruto nodded and wiped his tears away with his arm. "Thank you, Ayaka-Chan! I'm so happy!"

I felt my heart break a little; so starved for love and attention, crying when shown any sort of kindness. I hoped Naruto would be happy with our extension of the olive branch.

Naruto, Chouji, and I moved away from the play structures and towards the lawn, where we played ninja all afternoon. It made me happy that the two boys got along so well. I was excited for dinner tonight. My family would see Naruto as he was; an excitable, four year old boy.

I heard my mom call us over, yelling that it was time to go home. I turned to Naruto with a bright smile.

"Come on, Naru-Chan! Let's go!" I watched Naruto jump up and shout his excitement. I raced to my mother, Chouji and Naruto next to me.

We reached my mother, all three of us bouncing on our toes. She smiled down at us, kneeling down to our level.

"Hello." She said to Naruto. "You must be Naruto. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ayaka's mother, Chouko."

Naruto smiled brightly, scratching the tip of his nose. "Hi! Thank you soooooo much for letting me come to dinner! I'm so excited!" He said, stretching his arms out for emphasis.

My mom smiled and gently placed a hand on the blond's head. "Well, then we better get you to the dinner table." She said, straightening up.

Naruto, Chouji, and I ran ahead of mom, though we still stayed close so we wouldn't lose her. As we got closer to home, I could hear Naruto's stomach growling.

"Hungry, Naru-chan?" I teased.

Naruto blushed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "A little. I haven't eaten all day."

My eyes widened. "Why not?" I was almost afraid of the answer.

"Hm? Well...they ran out of breakfast at the orphanage where I live, so I didn't get any." He said nonchalantly.

"Did any other children not have breakfast?" Chouji asked curiously.

Naruto thought for a moment, putting a forefinger to his lips. "No, I was the only one." He shrugged, as if it was a normal occurrence. "It's okay! I'm gunna get an awesome dinner now!" Naruto cheered, rushing ahead.

Chouji and I looked at each other for a moment, feeling guilty for the poor blond; he wasn't getting fed regularly, and here we were eating dinner like royalty every night.

Chouji and I caught up to our friend and walked the rest of the way to the compound with cheery conversation. Naruto asked us multiple time what was for dinner, and each time we told him he'd have to wait and see.

He would cross his arms over his chest and pout, but would immediately cheer up and talk about something else.

When we finally made it back to the compound, Naruto was wilder than ever. He was running in circles, screaming about how excited and how delicious it was going to taste. We all walked inside the compound and Chouji and I took off running towards the dining room, Naruto close behind.

We reached the dining room and flung the door open to see a table piled high with food.

"Woah…." Naruto whispered in awe. Naruto rushed to the table, hopping into a chair and began to pile food onto his plate.

"Hey, Naruto! You can't do that!" Chouji cried, rushing to his own seat at the table.

Naruto blinked at Chouji, staring at him with a sad face. "I...I can't eat the food?" He looked devastated, like we got his hopes up just to crush them.

"Oh no no, Naruto." My mom said, trying to comfort him. "You can eat, but you have to wait for everyone to get to the table. First you have to wash up for dinner, then we must wait for the head of the Akimichi Clan to seat himself at the table before we can begin eating." She said softly, moving to Naruto's side.

"Ooooooooooh." Naruto said with realization, taking his hands away from the food. He jumped down from his seat, smiling up at my mom. "Where can I wash my hands?" He asked with a toothy grin.

"I'll show you! Come on Chouji-niisan!" I said jogging out of the room, Naruto and my cousin following me.

We made it to a washroom, where all three of us proceeded to fight over the sink. We all tried to scrub our hands furiously and as quickly as possible so we could race back to the dining room.

Once we were back in the dining room, we all got into our seats, eagerly waiting for dinner to start. I looked over towards the door, hearing my uncle come in. He smiled at each of us, his eyes resting on Naruto.

"Ah, so this must be the new friend Ayaka-chan was talking about. What's your name, son?" Chouza said in his deep voice.

Naruto smiled, looking up at my large uncle. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Thank you soooooo much for letting me come to dinner! I'm so excited!"

Chouza chuckled and took his seat. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto-kun. I am Akimichi Chouza, Head of the Akimichi Clan. I would like to personally welcome you into our home."

Naruto smiled, but blushed when he heard his stomach roar with hunger.

Uncle laughed. "Hahaha! Sounds like someone's hungry. Come, let's eat!"

Chouza sat down, and everyone began to serve themselves dinner; Naruto serving himself more quickly than others. The adults talked about their day and what was going on within the businesses. Owning many of the restaurants, or being partners with them was a very busy and time consuming business. If any of the clan members weren't shinobi, they were restauranteurs. Some even doubled as both.

I turned to Naruto to ask how he liked the food, and I saw him nearly choke on a dumpling. I slapped him on the back a couple of times, seeing him swallow the dumpling.

"Thanks, Ayaka-Chan."

"Eat a little slower next time. It's not going anywhere." I smiled.

He smiled back and went back to eating, less vigorously this time.

"So...Naruto-kun," Chouza started. "What do you think?"

"Oh my gosh, Chouza-san! This is the best meal I've ever had! The orphanage should take cooking lessons from you!" Naruto cried out in between bites.

Chouza chuckled. "I'm glad you enjoy the food, Naruto-kun. Some of the clan's best chef's made this dinner. You may eat as much as you like."

Naruto cheered and continued to eat his meal with fervor.

I continued to eat as well, though I didn't particularly participate in the idle chatter. As I continued to feed myself, I let my brain wander to what Naruto's life had been up until now. Or rather...what I could do to help him. Leaving him at the orphanage was necessary; the Akimichi family couldn't adopt him. That would show favoritism, and despite our noble status, it would still be heavily frowned upon.

Any other kind of solution to this problem would cause problems. If I continued to stay Naruto's friend, it would be seriously looked down on by many of the villagers. Mostly civilians, but I didn't really care about them. The shinobi population might take it better, though many of them still hated the poor boy.

I guess it couldn't really be helped. I was going to help this little blond dork, no matter what.

Once dinner was done, Naruto sat back in his chair, patting his stomach. "Ah!~ That was the best meal I ever had." He hummed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Naruto-kun." Chouza smiled. He looked at the clock, nodding to himself. "It appears to be getting late. My sister, Chouko, will take you back to the orphanage, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded and got down from the chair. He walked over to Chouza and smiled. "Thank you so much! Everything was so awesome!" he exclaimed, straightening up from the bow.

"You are more than welcome Naruto. You are also welcome into our home. Please, visit us when you can." Chouza said with a nod of his head.

Naruto stood in front of my uncle with a gleaming, and joyous smile. "Thank you, Chouza-san. I'll see you later." He waved and moved to my side.

I smiled and started walking with Naruto and my mom out of the dining room, and out of the compound all together.

The walk to the orphanage was filled with Naruto profusely thanking my mom and me for dinner, and was hoping he could eat dinner with us again, which of course my mother agreed.

Once at the orphanage, Naruto started to look a little tense: his shoulders were slightly taugh, his jaw was clenched, as were his fists.

"I'll see you at the park, Naru-chan." I smiled, placing my hand on his back reassuringly.

Naruto turned to me, and nodded his head. "Yeah. Bye Ayaka-chan! Thank you, Chouko-san! Dinner was really good!"

Mom nodded and placed a gentle hand on his head. "You are more than welcome, Naruto-kun. Have a good night."

The blond nodded and ran up the orphanage steps and opened the door. He turned back and waved goodbye to us, to which I waved back.

I watched him disappear into the building, closing the door behind him. I looked up at my mother, who had a saddened expression. "You okay, Kaa-san?" I asked, pulling on her shirt sleeve.

She looked down at me, giving me a sad smile. "Yes, Ayaka-chan. I'm okay. Come, let's head home." She took my hand and led me back to the compound.

The days continued and Naruto came to dinner at the compound several nights a week. As he ate with us, Chouza-Jisan took it upon himself to teach Naruto basic manners and social etiquette. While Naruto probably wasn't going to be invited to any big social gathering, he would understand how to be polite.

Days turned into weeks, which turned to months and Naruto and I were seen everywhere. Most times Chouji-niisan would be with us, sometimes Shika-kun would join us. We would go everywhere together: the park, the Akimichi family restaurants. Whenever Naru-chan was with us, he was accepted in without too much prejudice. If they offended a member or a friend of one of the noble clans, well...it would be bad business.

But our little adventures and play dates didn't go unnoticed by the village; manycivilians were quite...unhappy with me and my family for befriending Naruto. I remember hearing, or rather eavesdropping on Chouza-jisan, Kaa-san, and other members of the family council talking about it on several occasions.

The Akimichi restaurants honored Chouza-jisan's word, stating that Naru-chan was a friend of the Akimichi clan. Civilian stores, stalls, stands, and restaurants completely isolated Naruto; saying he was a demon that wasn't to be trusted. The Akimichi clan, along with the Nara clan were also singled out on several occasions because of our associations with, what they called, a "demon."

While these events didn't bother us, it was obvious they bothered Naruto. He said he was used to being called names and being banned from places, but it truly upset him when his friends were turned away. It shamed him, to be called a monster and have his friends bare witness to the atrocity.

But I had had enough. I was tired of seeing this poor child treated so terribly only out of fear. But there was only so much a five-year old could do. I would glare at people and shout at them, calling them many names. I even bit a citizen when then tried to kick Naruto away from their shop.

Naruto told us he was grateful for such "amazing friends," but I could still see the sadness.

I could only hope when the Academy started-the Academy! Of course! I'm such an idiot. In a few weeks we would all be starting classes at the Academy.

I had my basis. I would start at the Academy; show the world who Uzumaki Naruto truly was.

And maybe a bit of myself in the process.

 **~End Chapter**

 **So? What did you guys think? Next chapter, the Academy and officially meeting more characters. Alright guys, please review and check out my other story _Change is Good, Right?_**

 **Thank you!**

 **~Lu Lu-chan25**


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